And yet baseball players use tobacco during games. You'll see a catcher pull up his mask so he can spray tobacco juice or a batter step out of the box to make great expectorations.

My colleague John "Shea Hey" Shea is helping lead a movement to ban smokeless tobacco in the major leagues. Pack a lunch, buddy.

Players are going to say, "You took away our steroids and our amphetamines, now you want our chew? Go spit in your hat."

Chewin' tobacco can be crazy addictive. It can lead to oral cancer and other bad stuff. When big-leaguers chew, Little Leaguers follow. Kids do what they see their heroes do, and their heroes are chewing and dipping and drooling and slobbering right there in high-def.

Why do baseball guys need a nicotine fix - often with a caffeine back, slugged down in the dugout or clubhouse - when athletes in other sports hold off at least until the game's over?

Well, baseball players spend eight hours a day on the job, 200 days a year, way more dead time than in any other sport.

Baseball games are long, and getting longer. Baseball is a pastoral game, and you know what goes on in pastures: a lot of chewing.

Basketball and football players don't have time to smoke or chew during games. Although in the '60s and '70s, plenty of NBA guys lit up at halftime. Tobacco, I mean.

Anyway, smokeless tobacco is nasty, it's got to go, but that can happen only if big-leaguers vote it out themselves, which is like expecting an alcoholic to cut himself off.

We'll see how tough these guys really are. If they do ban the chew, buy stock in Starbucks.